Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona has been indicted on federal corruption charges stemming from a lengthy investigation into allegations that he had misused his office for financial gain, law enforcement officials said Monday.
The indictment, filed under seal, is expected to be made public soon, perhaps as early as today, officials said.
A one-time close friend of Carona, former Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo, already has pleaded guilty in the case, his attorney confirmed Monday. In the plea, Jaramillo admitted that he had collected cash and gifts worth about $45,000 and had filed false income tax returns concealing the income.
As part of the plea agreement, Jaramillo is cooperating with prosecutors in the continuing investigation of Carona. "He has cooperated in the past, has cooperated while in jail and will continue to cooperate in the future," said Jaramillo's attorney, Robert Z. Corrado. Jaramillo currently is serving a 12-month sentence on state charges.
Federal investigators "were asking questions about Carona's activities since he was elected sheriff," Corrado added. Investigators asked Jaramillo specifically about "gifts and monies" Carona had received, the attorney said.
Jaramillo and prosecutors reached the plea agreement months ago. It was sealed while investigators continued to pursue the case against Carona but is expected to be made public at an arraignment today, officials said.
Carona's longtime political adviser and attorney, Michael Schroeder, said federal authorities had not questioned the sheriff or officially informed him he was a target of the federal investigation. Schroeder, who was in Amsterdam on business, also said that rumors of the investigation had not distracted Carona from his job.
"He's focused on the fires," said Schroeder, who does not represent Carona in criminal matters.
Carona's defense attorney, H. Dean Steward, did not return a call to his cellphone. The sheriff did not respond to a request for an interview.
An indictment would mark a spectacular fall for the 52-year-old sheriff, who only five years ago was widely seen as a rising star in California Republican politics. Carona received widespread attention after he led the search for the killer of a 5-year-old girl, Samantha Runnion, whose kidnapping and murder captivated the nation. In the months after that case, Carona was often mentioned as a possible lieutenant governor candidate on a slate with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
